In the basement of Burlingame's public library a handful of San Mateo County residents practiced Falun Gong, the forbidden mind/body cultivation system that originated in prehistoric China, which has since migrated to the World since being introduced to the general public in 1992 by its founder, Mr. Li Hongzhi. Falun Gong is being practiced by million of people in over 30 nations, including 70 million Chinese citizens, including members of the Communist Party, which, ironically is unable to tolerate the fact that the number of Falun Gong practitioners exceed the party's membership.
"Fifty-seven people have died during custody in China-that's the ones we know about. My family has been harassed - my father and sister were sent to reeducation class for one week," said Ying Cheng, a software engineer from Foster City. "They had to watch a tape repeatedly that said Falun Gong is bad; phone conversations were taped, and police would go to our home during the holidays and force my parents to write that Falun Gong is bad."
Ms. Cheng, in the United States since 1995, has been practicing Falun Gong for four years, and is part of a movement in the U.S. to educate the public about the benefits of Falun Gong.
"In the U.S. more people need to know how beneficial Falun Gong is mentally and physically. I'm very happy because people are learning that this is good, not like the Chinese government is saying." Cheng said.
Lucite Botti of Burlingame came to the meeting with several other curious friends. Botti, already a practitioner of Tai Chi for three years asked, "What are they doing that they should be persecuted for?" When asked why she came, Botti said she finds meditation movements that are similar to Falun Gong "...very relaxing and invigorating, there is something about people who practice - they're more friendly and more open than people you meet at work."
Falun Gong has five gentle exercises aimed at absorbing energy from the kozmos including meditation, they're all founded on the universal principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance.
"Once your learn the movements your body will feel as the Universe does," said Cheng, "Falun Gong presents the Universe - we are living in the Universe, not in Burlingame."
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Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
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